


Gal Talk

by Lord_KH



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Bonding, Cloti - Freeform, F/M, Friendship, Girls' Night Out, Post-Final Fantasy VII Remake, Post-Sector 7 Plate Drop (Compilation of FFVII), Sleepovers, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:40:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29432580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_KH/pseuds/Lord_KH
Summary: In Costa del Sol, the party takes a breather from their long boat ride. In particular, Yuffie, Aerith, and Tifa spend some time unwinding in their room. Amongst what was supposed to be a friendly game of cards, the three women begin to realize that even with the fate of the world at stake, they still have each other.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough & Tifa Lockhart, Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Comments: 6
Kudos: 41





	Gal Talk

“Ha, _bam!_ Pay up!”

“ _Shit!”_

“ _-hrrnk-_ Aerith, they’ll hear you!”

“Good! Maybe they’ll come over and lose _their_ money instead…”

“Ooooh, good idea, granny! My pockets were startin’ to feel a little emp - _oww!_ ”

Tifa suppressed a guilty giggle as Aerith wrenched Yuffie’s ear, bringing the chattering girl to a literal screeching halt. Aerith smirked watching her young victim kick her legs on the neat bed like a stuck pig. 

“C’mon Yuffie,” Aerith teased, her grip firm, “You’ve already taken what little gil I have. Isn’t the whole ‘granny’ thing going a bit far? Besides, you don’t even have pockets!” She punctuated her point by swatting Yuffie on the outside of her bare thigh, covered by an incredibly gaudy white Costa del Sol tourist t-shirt that was several sizes too big. “But you _do_ have sleeves…”

“Eep!”

With a gentle flourish, Aerith reached under the baggy sleeve of Yuffie’s shirt and a slew of cards, all high suits, plopped down onto the bed, to Tifa’s shock and awe.

“Wha - _Yuffie!_ ” Tifa scolded, tossing aside her hand of cards onto her own bed, “I thought we were just playing for fun!”

“A-and - _yeowch!_ \- It _was_ fun!” Yuffie whined, still at Aerith’s mercy. “I won, didn’t I?!”

“What a good winner. _So_ humble…” Aerith let her go finally, leaving the young girl to bay like a dog as she rolled around to relieve the pain.

The three women were passing time in the rather large room they had been given at the Costa del Sol inn. In Tifa’s eyes, it was more like a resort; nothing in the slums of Midgar compared to this! The bathroom was as big as her old apartment, the water seemed fresh, and there was actual soft carpet, even a TV! Even her irritation at Yuffie’s grifting was quickly undone once she laid back on the bed and almost melted into the mattress. She could hear Aerith laugh from the other bed.

“Enjoying it, eh?” 

Tifa let out a big, satisfied sigh as she brushed her long, raven hair over her shoulder while she sat back up. “It’s just been a while since I’ve had something so cozy. I was worried we were gonna have to _sleep_ on that ship…”

“Oh _gawd!_ ” Yuffie suddenly gasped, leaping up to her knees and joining the conversation, “Thanks a lot, mom! Now I’m gonna be seasick in my freakin’ _dreams._ ” 

“Why am _I_ ‘mom?’” Tifa groaned, shaking her head as Aerith giggled at them both. “Aerith’s not _that_ much older, you know…”

“‘Cuz! Number 1, you’re _both_ old,” Yuffie snickered, dodging another swat from Aerith,” and number 2, Aerith dresses and acts like my tough old Granny, but _you,_ ” she sidled over to Tifa and laid her headband-covered hair right on Tifa’s chest as she hugged her arm, ignoring Aerith’s “ _Hey!”_ of annoyance, “remind me of my mom: gentle, powerful…”

“Oh, Yuffie…” Tifa blushed, wondering if perhaps she had misjudged the spritely little ninja.

“And _massive_ boobies, just big ‘ol pillows. I could fall asleep right n - _oww!_ ” Yuffie was on the receiving end of another hard pinch, this time to her cheek from Tifa. This was far from the first time Yuffie had made that kind of crack, and she was sure it wouldn’t be the last. All the same, she tugged on her bedtime outfit of the black sports bra and black cycling shorts she had worn under her normal clothes and crossed her arms, not wanting to give Yuffie any more ammunition.

Aerith huffed. “Well that’s no fair. Am I just stuck in ‘Granny’ status forever?” Aerith had gone to town on all the accoutrements of the room, leaving her in a scarlet bathrobe and brown slippers, the incredible volume of hair she had somehow contained in a swirled white bath towel atop her head. Tifa bit her lip, trying to hold back a laugh worming its way up her throat. Yuffie was right; Aerith was a pair of bifocals away from full on Granny status.

“Hey, I _like_ my Granny, don’t get me wrong,” Yuffie explained, hopping from bed to bed again, the t-shirt doing its best to maintain her modesty as it flapped around, “Plus, you knew about my trick! No one _ever_ catches me! How’d you do that?”

Flattered by the fluffing of her ego, Aerith’s face contorted into a haughty smirk. “I was raised in the Midgar slums, y’know. I’ve seen my fair share of crooks, and may have even learned a thing or two. You gotta do what you gotta do sometimes…” Her smirk turned into a grin as she slid her hand into the long damp arm of her bathrobe and pulled out a few cards, also all high suits. Yuffie’s jaw dropped while Tifa gasped in horror again.

“No. _Way._ _Granny!_ ” 

“You _too_ , Aerith!? Remind me to never play cards with you guys again…”

Yuffie didn’t look nearly as upset. “I-I never even _thought_ you were cheating! Wait…” There was a silence as Yuffie began to put things together in her head, a knowing squint taking form. “You were gonna _hustle_ me and win big, weren’t ya!?”

Aerith casually flicked some stringy wet hair out of her face. “You know a lady is never supposed to reveal her secrets.” She had to shuffle and adjust her spot as Yuffie quickly plopped down on her knees and placed her forehead up against the comforter, bowing in respect.

“Gra - Aerith... _Sensei. Teach me!”_ She begged, her head not moving from its spot plastered to the bed, “I gotta confess: I never finished my ninja training...b-but that’s only ‘cause all the geezers in my village suck _ass_. Teach me your sneaky, slumgirl ways!”

“You can’t be serious…” Tifa groaned, grasping her forehead in disbelief. Having gotten used to Marlene and what a little sweetheart she was, Yuffie’s rambunctious teenage energy was a little much. It wasn’t surprising that Aerith seemed less intimidated; beneath those innocent green eyes and mature clothes was a sly little trickster who would fit right at home with an obnoxious kid.

Sure enough, she patted the back of Yuffie’s head, who looked up as if the hand of her creator had just graced her. “Very well, young one, I accept!” she answered in a silly ‘serious’ voice, much to the delight of Yuffie. “I’ll teach you all that I know so you can be the best ninja yet!”

“ _Woohoo!_ ” Yuffie whooped, high fiving Aerith as she sat back up. “What’s first, teach?”

“The most important lesson right now,” Aerith began, yawning as she got up off the bed, “is learning your limits. We’re due for a long walk tomorrow, so I'm going to get some sleep. First thing in the morning...the real training begins!” She said it with such conviction that even Tifa believed her for just a second.

“Aww, _what!?_ Laaammmee…” Nonetheless, Yuffie pulled the comforter of the bed back and laid under it, tugging her headband off and letting her black hair fall into her face a bit. “It’s not even late!”

“Even masters get tired, right?” Tifa jumped in, stretching a bit. Aerith winked at her and nodded.

“Exactly, Tifa! I had to work so much to see you cheating that I’m exhausted.” Aerith said as she walked over to the bathroom and closed the door.

Now alone, Yuffie shuffled in her spot to look at Tifa. “You guys are a _lot_ more fun than those other guys. What’s their deal? _Especially_ Cloud - what a weirdo!”

As usual, Tifa felt defensive. “Hey, be nice! Cloud’s…”

“...a weirdo.”

“Ugh, no! He’s... _unique_.”

Yuffie didn’t miss a beat. “Yeah, _unique-ly_ weird! He’s hot and all, but -”

“Oh, _what_ are we even talking about?” Tifa sighed, not ready to have this conversation with a kid. 

“What!? C’mon, as a fellow babe, I _know_ the studs when I see ‘em! Too bad he’s such a grump, I bet he’d make a _great_ -”

“What are we talking about?” Aerith asked quizzically, walking back over to them. She had ditched the robe and towel, her hair in a very loose ponytail that descended to her waist. The soft pink slip that cascaded down to her thighs was the closest thing to actual nightwear amongst the three of them.

“Mom has a major case of hotness denial about Cloud,” Yuffie quipped, again making Tifa boiling red. Would that girl ever learn when to keep her mouth shut!? 

“I-I-I have _no_ idea what you’re -”

“You know Yuffie, you better be careful talking about Cloud,” Aerith said as she sat down on the same bed as her new pupil, “Him and Tifa go way back!”

Not her _too_ , Tifa thought desperately as her ruby red pupils began to dilate. She laid down as well, feeling like her head was swelling up.

“Nuh uh! Did you guys...ya know...do the thing? The sexy thing?”

Nope, this was _not_ happening. “Ohh- _kay_ , and on that note, I’m going to sleep now!” Tifa quickly reached out and shut off the lamp on the stand between the two beds, bathing the room in darkness.

“C’mon, I’m not some little kid! We can talk about that, right, Aerith?”

“D-don’t ask _her_ for permission!” Tifa chided, now deeply uncomfortable that Yuffie felt Aerith was the sole arbiter of steamy discussion.

Aerith was swift in her judgement. “Yuffie! All I meant was Cloud and her were friends when they were little kids, they’re from the same town.” Tifa breathed a sigh of relief that quickly caught in her throat once Aerith finished. “And he’s _crazy_ about her!”

Tifa couldn’t even get words out. “Wh-wh-whu -”

“ _I knew it!_ ” Yuffie shrieked, once again _way_ too loud for Tifa’s comfort, “I got _major_ vibes from those two ever since we teamed up, and my vibes have never let me down. That explains the stick up his ass.”

“Oh?” Aerith said as she yawned, clearly wanting Yuffie to elaborate. Tifa always knew Aerith was trouble, but this duo was proving to be the deadliest alliance she had faced yet.

“Well duh! He’s walkin’ around her all day, drooling after her, and he’s too much of a chicken to fess up. _I’d_ be angsty too.”

“You guys, that’s _enough_ ,” Tifa tried to assert, although her normally smoky voice suddenly squeaked and took away any real energy from it, “Cloud and I are _just_ friends, okay!?” J-just friends!” She tried to convey a serious look, but all she could see were two shapes, one with a grin as wide as the Midgar plate.

“Can you _imagine_ ,” Yuffie went on, totally ignoring Tifa, “He’s gotta stand there and watch as Tifa kicks all kinds of ass, in _that_ outfit, with _those_ abs, being all hot, and he’s just like ‘ _-Hrrk-_ If only I could tell her the truth,’ haha! I _totally_ get it now!”

The nightmare seemed to finally end before Aerith interjected with her own impression. “That’s not half bad! But he’s usually more like ‘... _Tifa_ …’”

The comfort of a pillow over her face was all Tifa could manage at the moment. Maybe with luck the pillow would gain sentience and smother her, if only to escape this awkward moment. Sometimes she wished she had Barret’s temperament - it at least served to get people to zip their lips.

“Ha, yes! Good one, Aerith-sensei!” Tifa could only scoff at what a stooge Yuffie was already becoming. 

Although the hotel pillow garbled it, Tifa still felt the need to put her thoughts out there. “I’m going to get you two someday, if it’s the last thing I do…”

That seemed to have quieted them, although there were little girlish giggles echoing in the dark for a minute or so. Unfortunately, that also gave Tifa some time to listen to her own thoughts, which had been on mute while she dealt with the troublemakers across from her. Aerith was just being Aerith; Cloud had never said anything about her in t _hat_ way, surely. 

But what if he had?

It was so hard to tell with him. His eyes gave you nothing, even if you got lost in them due to their strange glow and color. He rarely, if ever, switched his tone from “stern SOLDIER” to anything else, definitely nothing that would suggest he was hiding something from her. Then again, it _had_ been a while - Cloud had definitely made some changes in just the short time they had been reunited, so maybe it was _possible_ …

“I meeannn,” Yuffie mumbled, clearly chomping at the bit to ask, “Have you ever _thought_ about it? Yeah, he’s weird and whatever, but if he’s into you…”

Tifa sighed again, the pillow still plastered to her face. “He’s not...C-Cloud doesn’t think of me like that.”

“But what if he _does_ !?” Yuffie squealed, the - _swish-_ of the bedsheets indicative of her fully turning to look at Tifa, “Can’t you just be, y’know, direct?”

Tifa bit her lip, unsure of how much to respond or to just pretend like she had drifted off. Yuffie was clearly trying to rile her up, but Tifa had real concerns. When they passed through Kalm just after escaping Midgar, Cloud had told them all something that just seemed... _untrue_. In retelling the tragedy that had befallen Nibelheim, he suddenly became a central figure, when Tifa truly couldn’t recall seeing him since a little while after they had chatted at the towns’ water tower as children. It had been a defining moment of her life, something she re-lived every day - how could she have possibly forgotten Cloud? It didn’t make sense, and since then she had been sick to her stomach about it, and what that could mean for Cloud.

“Tifa?”

She moved the pillow, hearing a more serious voice call out to her. It was Aerith. “Is something wrong? We were only having some fun, sorry if we crossed a line. Isn’t that right, _Yuffie?_ ” For some reason she sounded like she nearly growled at the end.

“Ye _-ow!-ah_ , alright! I guess I am, too. What she said,” Yuffie relented, although it sounded a bit coerced.

Yuffie’s act was probably going to wear thin, but was nearly impossible for Tifa to stay mad at Aerith for too long. Beneath her quirky demeanor, there was a capacity for kindness and strength that Tifa only wished she could have. It was hard to trust people in the world sometimes, but Aerith wasn’t one of those people.

“Y-yeah, yeah. No worries, Aerith.” She was glad the darkness could hide the consternation on her face. 

“You know,” Aerith continued, “If something’s bothering you, you really should get it off your chest. We’re in this together, remember?”

Ignoring Yuffie’s muttering of “I can think of _two_ big things on her chest,” Tifa could only smile. She had grown up an only child, and while she had always had friends as a child, her actual family was very small, particularly when her mother passed from illness. With just a dad, she never really got to talk to other girls, and growing up to be interested in athletics and martial arts hadn’t exactly endeared her to most of her female peers, either. Jesse had been a good friend but, like a lot of other things, cruelly taken from Tifa far too soon. She treasured these times with Aerith, and could even appreciate Yuffie’s brattiness, in a way; sometimes a kid just needed to be a kid.

At the same time, Tifa’s fears always ended up rearing their ugly head. What if her fears about Cloud only seemed like a big deal in her head, but silly when spoken aloud? She didn’t want Aerith and Yuffie to think less of Cloud; he was a _good_ person, if maybe a little messed up. Morale was a big factor too - despite the teasing, Tifa had been quite enjoying the night, and didn’t want it to end with a rumination on a fear that may end up being totally irrational.

“Really, Aerith, it’s not a big deal. I think I’m just tired, is all.” It sounded like a good enough excuse as any to get some shut-eye.

“I think we all are,” Aerith concurred, “What say we hit the hay? Plenty of time to talk tomorrow.”

“And _teach,_ don’t forget!” Yuffie threw in.

“I won’t, don’t worry.”

“Good.”

“Okay, goodnight you two. Sleep tight.” Anxious as she was, Tifa could never quite rid herself of the politeness that growing up in a small village like Nibelheim instilled in her. She heard a few mumbles back before all was quiet, the sounds of far away vacationers and shops the only noise heard through the room’s sole window. She had just closed her eyes when another voice broke the still of the night.

“Um, guys?”

Tifa’s eyes opened again. It was Yuffie talking, sounding a lot more relaxed and like her age than she could ever recall hearing.

“What is it, Yuffie?” she asked.

“I, uh, well...I-it’s just that this is like the first time I’ve ever stayed the night anywhere outside home. Or with other people that weren’t, like, my family. So…”

“Feel any different yet?” Aerith chimed in.

“Heh, not really,” Yuffie laughed, “but I was just gonna say that...This is all _pretty_ wild, but I’m glad I’m with you guys. You’re pretty cool. And so’s your materia.”

As much as her heart had been played with that night, Tifa felt her chest swell hearing that. Yuffie was still a kid, and it was in Tifa’s natural instinct to be protective of her since she had joined. The ‘mom’ stuff was a little overstated, but she was glad to hear Yuffie felt that way.

“Glad you’re here too, Yuffie!” That Yuffie’s only response was a quick, embarrassed huff let Tifa know that she appreciated it, even if she wouldn’t say it.

“Aw, bring it in!” Aerith squealed, taking some invisible action. Tifa squinted, although it was apparent quickly what she had done.

“Ew, now you’re _really_ being a granny! _Get off!_ ”

“Make me.” 

“If you don’t leggo, I’ll…”

“Seems like it might be a security issue to just trust you with our materia out and about, yeah? It’s for your own good!”

After being on the receiving end for a little while, Tifa couldn’t deny the sense of satisfaction she got hearing Yuffie so thoroughly embarrassed. “I think Aerith’s got a point. I’ll leave her to it, she sounds like she knows what she’s doing.”

“ _Arrgh!_ ”

The older girls laughed again, Yuffie’s pleas for help unsated as the moon slowly reached its highest point. Tifa wasn’t sure she was going to have the best night’s sleep, but at least it was going to be in the company of friends, and not just her own thoughts.


End file.
